Offshore drilling bid falters again

WASHINGTON — The Senate derailed an effort to revive a plan for offshore oil and gas drilling Thursday.

In the first vote on the contentious plan this year, senators rejected the effort with a 51-47 vote mostly along party lines.

The proposal arose as an amendment to a nonbinding budget resolution, which would have revived the drilling plan by encouraging the idea in budget deliberations.

But the vote tested support for drilling and showed that opposition remains formidable in the Democratic-controlled Congress.

The author of the amendment, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said offshore drilling could begin with Virginia, which has asked Congress for the right to drill off its coast.

"If they asked for that and if they can produce more oil and gas, which will lower the price of $3.50 gasoline, then they ought to be allowed to do so," Alexander said.

But Democrats, including Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, said the measure could open most of the nation's coastlines to drilling.

Virginia's state legislature has signaled strong interest in offshore drilling, saying the state could reap millions of dollars in royalties. Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has approached the issue cautiously, saying he supports studying oil and gas reserves while keeping an open mind on drilling.

Two of the three major presidential candidates also weighed in Thursday. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., both voted against the amendment. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, did not vote.